Raman ultimately changed seat to Rajnandgaon

     Raipur, October 22, 2008: What ChhattisgarhTopNews.Com said on October 20, was found true today as Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh had finally changed his assembly constituency to Rajnandgaon from Dongargaon.

     Due to local compulsion and to give more time to other 89 constituencies, the Chief Minister wanted to change his seat to Rajnandgaon and the Central Election Committee, which met yesterday at New Delhi under the chairmanship of party President Rajnath Singh and attended by party’s Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani and state in-charge and national Secretary Dharmendra Pradhan among others, gave approval to that request.

    After Singh migrated to Rajnandgaon, Kheduram Sahu would be the BJP candidate from Dongargaon seat to take on most likely Geeta Devi Singh of Congress.

     Although Kawardha was actively considered and several BJP leaders considered that as the most favourable seat for the Chief Minister but Rajnandgaon was decided as a much better seat by the Chief Minister compared to many others, a top BJP leader told the ChhattisgarhTopNews.Com.

     Currently Rajnandgaon is being represented by Udai Mudliyar of Congress, who defeated his nearest rival and former Minister Leelaram Bhjwani in a thin margin of just 40 votes.

     During the 2003 assembly election the Rajnandgaon assembly had 1,48,542 voters, out of which 76.61 or 1,13,804 had exercised their franchise. Mudliyar secured 43,081 or 37.88 per cent votes to become victorious were as Leelaram Bhojwani of BJP got 43,041 or 37.85 votes and NCP’s Ashok Choudhury got 16,944 or 14.9 per cent and B P Mesram of the BSP got 3,549 votes or 3.12 per cent votes, election office sources said.

     Through a by-election Dr Raman Singh had entered the state assembly in 2003 from Dongargaon of the same Rajnandgaon district.

     The Dongargaon had 1,12,636 voters, out of which 80,158 or 71.16 per cent cast their votes. Dr Singh got 42,115 or 52.53 per cent votes where as Geeta Devi Singh of Congress secured 32,004 votes or 39.92 per cent. Dayalu Chandel of BSP was in third position with 2,473 (3.08 per cent) votes and Independent Lakshman Das got 1,663 (2.07 per cent) votes.